


The Mentor

by Hours_Gone_By



Series: The Adventures of Student!Jazz and Wizard!Prowl [8]
Category: Transformers - Aligned Continuity Family, Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Affection, Alternate Universe – Wizards, Backstory, Bathing, Cohabitation, Cooking & Baking, Curtain Fic, Dinner, Domestic Fluff, Energon, Established Relationship, Familial Love, Family, Fluff, Gen, I think – at least partially?, Kissing, Living Together, M/M, Magic, Magical Tattoos, May/December Relationship, Meet the Family, Mild Sexual Content, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Relationship(s), Romantic Fluff, Romantic Gestures, Romantic love, Tattoos, University, University Student Jazz, Visitors, Wizards, Worldbuilding, body art, closeness, life decisions, mentors & proteges - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-07
Updated: 2020-02-07
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:54:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22605838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hours_Gone_By/pseuds/Hours_Gone_By
Summary: Jazz's mentor, Half-step, drops by to spend time with his protégé and meet Prowl in person. Prowl is prompted to think back on his own mentor and master, and Jazz thinks on some major life decisions.
Relationships: Jazz & Half-step (OC), Jazz/Prowl
Series: The Adventures of Student!Jazz and Wizard!Prowl [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1220048
Comments: 14
Kudos: 51





	The Mentor

Jazz of Altihex, a Performing Arts student in his third year at university, had met his lover, the wizard Prowl when he hadn't even been looking for a partner. In fact, romance hadn't even been on Jazz's mind. It hadn't been anywhere close, and he definitely hadn't been thinking about Prowl as a prospective partner. Prowl certainly hadn't been looking for a lover, hadn't even been looking to meet another person. He had been looking for something very, very different.

They had met the previous stellar-cycle when Jazz had been between terms on summer vacation. He had been housesitting a big, fancy house on the edge of the Limbranite Tundra to earn some extra shanix to help stretch out his student allotment. The house was located on a sizeable estate, hics from anywhere and anyone. Jazz had thought he was all alone and it was the isolation that was creeping him out alone in the house. Jazz was a social mech, and he wasn't used to having _nobody_ around, so it made sense that being all alone and having nowhere to go might weird him out. He'd been very wrong about everything being in his head and right about creepy slag really happening. Turned out, the house was also home to a preternatural creature called a wight that was feeding on his dreams. Jazz had kept telling himself it was just his imagination, even thinking he was hallucinating some things. Then, one night, the wight had _spoken_ to Jazz, asked to feed on him, terrifying him into fleeing into the night, freezing at the pole even in the height of summer. He'd been standing on the terrace, lost and not knowing what to do or where to go and then Prowl, stern and armed and mysterious, had appeared out of the night.

The encounter wasn't exactly a meet-cute. Jazz had been confused and frightened, and Prowl had kept talking past him as if he expected Jazz to know more than he did and to respond entirely differently. Prowl was frustrated with Jazz's response, and Jazz had been on edge to the point he'd been planning how to get away from Prowl and call the Enforcers. Eventually, they worked out that Prowl had mistaken Jazz for an apprentice wizard and was expecting him to have an entirely different reaction to the wight. Once they'd gotten past that misunderstanding, Jazz was still creeped out but Prowl was more willing to explain things. It hadn't helped Jazz relax _at all,_ but at least he knew what was going on. By the time Prowl had dismissed the wight, they hadn't even been close to becoming lovers but there had been something between them, something they were willing to work on. They had parted, and later Prowl had come to find Jazz in Altihex, and they had been together ever since.

Much, much later, Jazz found out that while he wasn't a wizard, he had a sensitivity to magic and stuff like the wight. That was what had misled Prowl into thinking he was an apprentice. That was what led Jazz to eventually ask his lover, with whom he now lived, to teach him how to use and refine his sensitivity. Prowl had agreed and was starting him off with the basics that all apprentices learned, even if Jazz wasn't a wizard himself. It wasn't lectures and tests the way Jazz experienced it in uni, and some of it was stuff he'd never tried before. Like, Jazz never had been one for meditation, hadn't ever thought he'd be able to clear his mind, but hey! Turned out that he could and not only that, he felt better afterward and was getting better at focussing on stuff just in general. He particularly liked to use this newfound focus to reduce Prowl to a pile of gasping, satisfied, overheated metal. Fair was fair, after all.

Right now, Jazz had just finished showing his lover how much more focus he'd become capable of. Prowl was lying on his back and Jazz was snuggled up, head on Prowl's stomach, and an arm thrown possessively over his thighs. Prowl's temperature was still up, and Jazz was feeling smug about that. Prowl was older and more experienced and routinely blew Jazz's circuits in amazing new ways, and Jazz was pleased he'd finally been able to do the same for him.

"So, how's my focus coming, lover?" Jazz asked, nuzzling against Prowl's abdomen.

"Mmm." Prowl stroked Jazz's helm affectionately. "Wonderfully, my darling."

Jazz hummed happily and hugged Prowl's legs. "Glad you're happy, babe."

Prowl gently urged him upward, probably wanting a kiss. "Beyond happy, beloved."

Smiling, Jazz looked down at his lover, at the stern, beloved face, and gave Prowl the kiss he knew he wanted. "Me, too."

Jazz kissed Prowl again, but what would likely have led to round two got interrupted by the house's comm suite chiming. The chime pattern told Jazz it was his mentor, Half-step, was calling, and he hesitated before answering.

"Go on," Prowl urged, and let his hands just rest on Jazz's armour. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Thanks, babe." Jazz synced his internal comms to the house comms. ' _'Step! What's happening, mech?_ '

' _Hey, kiddo! I'm gonna be rolling through your end of town in a couple mega-cycles. I wanted to know if it'd be cool if I stayed with you for a bit? Just a couple nights, that's all._ '

Jazz added Prowl to the conversation since he should get a say in whether they had guests too.

' _'Step wants to stay with us a couple nights_ ,' Jazz explained. ' _That cool?'_

' _Of course,_ ' Prowl agreed graciously. ' _As long as he likes. Half-step, it will be good to meet you in person at last._ '

' _Yeah, you too, Prowl._ '

' _Thanks, babe,_ ' Jazz said, giving Prowl a quick kiss, even though he had been sure Prowl would say 'yes.'

' _Be good to see you again, kiddo. Missed you, Jazzie._ '

"'Jazzie?'" Prowl repeated out loud, looking curiously at Jazz.

Jazz dropped his head and groaned into Prowl's chest plating. ' _'Step…_ '

Half-step laughed. ' _Okay, okay._ Jazz. _That better?_ '

' _Yes,_ ' Jazz said pointedly, feeling Prowl shiver under him with suppressed laughter. Jazz ignored that and talked to Half-step a bit longer, finalizing plans for his visit, then Half-step ended the call.

"How long has it been since you've seen your mentor in person?" Prowl wanted to know, fingertips drawing circles on Jazz's waist.

"Little over a stellar-cycle," Jazz said, folding his arms over Prowl's chest and looking down at his lover. "When he was between tours. I would've gone home last summer, but then I got the housesitting gig, and…yeah."

Prowl cupped the back of Jazz's helm in one hand; his palm was still a little rough from vorn of living without much access to proper polishes or fresh repair nanites.

"I'm sorry you missed out on seeing your mentor, love," Prowl said, looking into Jazz's visor. "But I am so glad you took that gig."

"Yeah," Jazz said softly, and put his head down on his folded arms, faintly able to hear the hum of Prowl's systems. "Me, too."

* * *

Prowl was out on the mega-cycle Half-step arrived. Prowl'd had a meeting scheduled with Glyph, a student of Cybertronian history he'd met at the housewarming party he and Jazz had held. The wizard had offered to reschedule, but Jazz had okayed it because it'd give him some time alone with his mentor. Besides, Jazz knew how Prowl liked to hang out with Glyph and her classmates, and Jazz liked that Prowl had people he wanted to hang with. Jazz knew his lover and he knew that sometimes even Prowl wanted to socialize, the same way Jazz sometimes wanted to be alone.

Finally, the front door chime sounded, and Jazz bounded over to answer it. His mentor greeted him with a broad smile and a big hug.

"Jazz!" Half-step exclaimed, thumping Jazz on the back. "Aw, kiddo, so good to see you in the metal again!"

Jazz squeezed his mentor tight, grinning. "Missed you, too, Mentor." He gave one final squeeze then let go, at least for now. "C'mon in, I'll show you to your room, let you wash off the road."

"Sounds good. Prowl's not here?"

"Nah, he had a thing. He would've cancelled, but I said it was okay. Figured you and I could hang out, catch up."

"Cool." Half-step looked around while they headed up the ramps to the third floor. Jazz was giving Half-step the room across from his and Prowl's. "So, you two got the bottom half of this place?"

"Nope, we've got the whole thing. Prowl bought it when he moved to town."

"Pretty ritzy. Prowl buy the furniture too?"

"Yeah, it came with the house."

"Uh-huh." Half-step's tone was too neutral. He put a hand on Jazz's arm, tapped one of the protective etchings. "And these? Didn't think etchings were your style."

"Prowl did those for me."

"Yeah? They mean anything?"

"Yeah. 'Protection,' 'safety,' that kind of thing." Jazz wouldn't have been surprised if his mentor had recognized the Fortrax for what it was; Half-step knew some pretty off-spec things for a piano player.

Sure enough, Half-step said, "feels like I've seen these glyphs before, but – ah, it'll come to me. Right now, I'm just happy to see you."

Jazz looked at his mentor, smiling fondly. "Yeah, me too."

They reached the third floor and Jazz showed Half-step the guest room. Well, one of the guest rooms anyway. They had four more on the two upper floors.

Half-step never travelled with much, and it didn't take more than a couple of kliks for him to put his stuff away. Jazz hung out just outside the shower stall while his mentor washed up, talking over the sound of the solvent pattering down, telling him how his classes were going. The university classes, anyway, since Jazz wasn't sure yet how to explain what Prowl was teaching him. He had time to think about it, though. The buffers made conversation impossible, and Jazz just waited while his mentor got all shined up.

"Not bad," Half-step said approvingly, holding his arms out and turning his hands back and forth to check out the shine of his plating. "Not bad at all."

"Yeah, way better than the dorm's racks, that's for sure," Jazz agreed.

"Yeah, gotta be. Listen, there anything you wanna tell me about Prowl before I meet him face-to-face?" Half-step asked, once again too casually to Jazz's experienced audial. Half-step was worried, and Jazz could guess what he was worried about. Half-step and Prowl got along over comms, but Half-step had never seen the lovers interact in person, and the financial difference between them alone could be a cause for concern. Jazz got it: he'd addressed that between them as well. Prowl didn't mind it, but Jazz had insisted on contributing equally, even if that meant they did and spent less than they otherwise could have. That could come later when Jazz was getting regular work. Prowl was considerate, gentle, and loving, and Jazz strove to be just as much so to him. Half-step didn't have anything to worry about.

"You're worried, aren't you?" Jazz asked rhetorically. He put a reassuring hand on his mentor's shoulder. "Prowl's being good to me, Mentor, and Disjunct is fine."

Jazz didn't actually know anyone named 'Disjunct' and neither did Half-step. 'Disjunct needs a hand' was a safety phrase they'd set up for Jazz to use if he was ever somewhere he felt unsafe. It let his mentor know he needed an out. If Jazz said Disjunct was okay, it let Half-step know Jazz was safe.

"Okay," Half-step said, relaxing. "Just checking. You meet this guy – haven't told me how or where yet, by the way – and he's older and richer than you, and you wind up moving in with him kinda fast, especially considering you never moved in with a lover before. You get why I'm asking, right? And yeah, I've talked to Prowl and yeah, I like him, and yeah, I can tell you got it bad. But you don't always know from the outside, and I've seen this kinda situation go bad before, so you get why I wanted to be sure."

"Yeah, 'Step, I get it." Jazz hugged his mentor. "I just…it's really right for me to be with Prowl, y'know?"

"Glad to hear it." Half-step didn't let go. "So, on a happier note, _do_ you have anything you want me to know about your sweetspark?"

"Well," Jazz said slowly, "some people," a lot of them, but Jazz didn't want to oversell it, "find Prowl kinda strange."

"Yeah, well." Half-step let him go, smiling fondly. "You're not exactly normal yourself, are you kiddo?"

He tried to knuckle Jazz's helm, between his sensor horns, and Jazz danced away, grinning.

"Yeah, well, I'm a product of my environment," Jazz joked, relieved for the change of subject. Change of scenery wouldn't hurt either. "C'mon, you can set your keyboard up in the music room."

"Sure thing, Jazz."

Half-step was duly impressed by the music room. He also spotted the antique sheet music Prowl had sent Jazz before the wizard had arrived in Altihex, which Jazz kept in a case on a stand, so it stayed safe.

"Prowl sent it after we met," Jazz explained when Half-step asked about it. "I made a copy to work from, so I don't damage the original. Don't know where he found it, though."

"Thoughtful," Half-step observed. "Paying attention to the stuff you like."

Half-step went over to the window and examined the crystal sun-catcher, etched with more Fortrax, hanging there. They gleamed in what light there was now that Hadeen had passed overhead. The music room was Jazz's, but Prowl had wanted to hang his sun-catcher in here since he'd thought it would fit better here. Jazz liked having it in here as well. When Hadeen's position was just right, the sun-catcher filled the room with shards of coloured light and Jazz loved it.

"This yours?" Half-step asked. "They're like the etchings, don't seem like your style."

"Those're Prowl's too," Jazz answered. "Don't know where he got them, but he's had them for a long time, he says."

"Yeah." Half-step raised a hand as if to touch the crystals but then stopped. "Y'know, I just remembered where I've seen these glyphs before."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Half-step turned and looked Jazz straight in the visor. "So, when were you going to tell me your lover's into magic?"

Jazz stared back at his mentor for a long moment. Okay, so he knew Half-step knew some stuff, and he knew magic wasn't exactly a _secret_ – Crystal City had laws on the books to handle it after all – more like something people didn't pay attention to anymore.

"These," Half-step continued, coming forward and tapping the etchings at the bottom of Jazz's left vambrace. "I recognize it from some of the stuff my creator was into. Fortrax or something, right? The memory files are a bit fragmented, but they're there."

Jazz, who had called it the Wizard's Alphabet until pretty recently when he'd finally asked Prowl for its real name, was startled to hear Half-step use the right one.

Half-step kept going. "My creator used to try and use this stuff to get people to do what he wanted. Not sure he ever succeeded, but there's some stuff I wondered about before I – well, I try not to think about the mech too much. You know that."

"Yeah, I know." Jazz didn't know a whole lot about Half-step's creator, but he'd picked up that the mech had veered between being smothering and being neglectful at best. "Prowl isn't like that though, Mentor, promise. Look, sit down, and I'll tell you how we met and everything that happened from there, okay?"

Half-step, who had always been fair and willing to listen to Jazz, nodded. "Okay, let's do that."

Jazz sat his mentor down and told him all about Prowl, starting with how they met. He told him about the wight, Prowl appearing out of nowhere to save him, the first date where they'd freed poltergeists, the cursed mirror in this very house, finding Rewind trapped in a data slug, going to Crystal City to find and stop Shockwave. Coming home and having Prowl ask Jazz to move in. He told Half-step about his sensitivity to magic and how he'd asked Prowl to teach him to use it.

"Wow, mech," Half-step said once Jazz had finished, sitting back. "I've seen some stuff in my time, but that is _heavy_. Magic? Really?"

"Yeah, I know how it sounds, but – "

"No," Half-step interrupted gently. "I mean, really? You've seen real magic? Cause I used to hear plenty from my creator, but I never saw anything I'd call proof."

"Well, I've got these." Jazz showed him the little crystal spheres Prowl had given him, the ones that responded to musical tones by changing colours.

"And you're sure they're magic?" Half-step asked, half-hopefully, half-skeptically. "No tech or anything?"

"Yeah," Jazz said. He was getting more sensitive to these things, and he could feel a faint buzz around the spheres now, especially when they were active. "I'm sure."

Half-step shook his head in amazement. "My creator, he was fascinated by this stuff, y'know. I always thought he was just…y'know. Spinning his wheels in a fantasy. I mean, sometimes I thought it might be real, there's been some stuff, but mostly, I thought he was just justifying the obsession."

Jazz got it: he hadn't exactly been a believer himself at first, had he?

"Yeah, I know. You told me all this a stellar-cycle ago, I'd have said the same thing."

"I bet. I mean, ghosts, yeah, you can't spend any time in theatres and not hear about at least one haunting, even if I never saw anything myself." Half-step changed the subject a little. "I gotta say, though, I'm not happy about Prowl taking you into this Shockwave's place."

"I made him," Jazz insisted. "I wouldn't let him go in alone. I would've just followed him if he'd tried to make me stay. I wasn't – I wasn't going to lose him, Mentor. Besides, it wasn't like it was a secret we were together, and if Shockwave could make Quickshadow not talk about Sigil, he could make her talk about me. I wasn't gonna be safe anyway if Prowl didn't win."

Half-step looked, briefly, like he wanted to argue, but he sighed instead.

"Okay, Jazz, you're right. Doesn't mean I have to like it, or that being with Prowl is what put you in danger, though." Half-step leaned forward and put his hand on Jazz's shoulder. "Prowl's important to you, I know that, so he matters to me, too, but you, kiddo? You're _always_ going to come before everyone and everything else. Okay?"

Jazz smiled and put his hand over Half-step's, where it rested on his shoulder. "Okay."

On the first floor, the door chimed softly as it opened. Prowl, right on time, and Jazz stood up. "Ready to meet Prowl?"

Half-step stood as well. "Sure am."

Prowl was already heading up the ramp to the second floor, and they met on the landing. Jazz greeted his lover with a kiss.

"Hey, babe," Jazz said when they broke apart, having kept it short. "C'mere. Say 'Hi' to my mentor."

"Hello, Half-step," Prowl said in his mild voice, taking a step forward as Jazz turned back to his mentor. Prowl absently wrapped an arm around Jazz's waist. "It's good to finally meet you in person."

"It's good to meet you, too, Prowl," Half-step said, accepting Prowl's handshake.

"I was just telling 'Step about us," Jazz told his lover. "How we met, what we've been up to since then."

Prowl looked at Jazz curiously. "All of it?"

They'd never given anyone the exact story of how they'd met, given that it was pretty unbelievable unless you already knew about stuff like magic and wights. They just kept it simple, saying they'd met the previous summer when Prowl had been in the area where Jazz was house-sitting. It was true, after all. It just wasn't the complete truth.

Jazz nodded. "Yeah, warlock and all. He already knew about magic, kind of, just not that it's really real. He recognized the Fortrax in my etchings."

"Can you read it?" Prowl asked Half-step curiously.

Half-step shook his head. "No, not read, just recognize. My creator was into this stuff, had a whole lot of books and things. I know it from there, I just never saw any magic happen myself. Not that I could be sure of."

"No? Have you never felt anything unusual, in a theatre, or when performing, perhaps?"

Half-step shrugged. "Well, I've picked up a vibe in places, sometimes. I found myself avoiding places that turn out to be bad news cause I had a weird feeling. Everyone I know does that, pretty much, though I never saw or heard anything the way some people claimed to."

"Are most of the people you know also performers?"

"Pretty much."

"Some degree of sensitivity is common in musicians," Prowl said. "Jazz has a great degree."

"Yeah, he was saying." Half-step put an arm around Jazz's shoulders, looking proud. "Always knew Jazz was special."

"Yes, he is," Prowl agreed, giving Jazz a warm, fond look.

"You two are gonna make me blush," Jazz said, only half-joking because he did have to use an override command to prevent just that. "C'mon. Let's go grab dinner."

While they were waiting at the restaurant for a table, Prowl put an arm around Jazz's waist, casually affectionate, and Jazz smiled and leaned into it.

"So, Prowl," Half-step began once they were seated and had given their orders. "Jazz told me about Shockwave's lab, and I know everything turned out okay and all, but I gotta let you know, I'm not wild about Jazz going into danger like that."

"Nor was I," Prowl admitted. "I wanted to leave him behind in safety. But he insisted, and his arguments were valid."

"Yeah, they were," Half-step agreed, absently spinning the container of additive shakers. "Not arguing that part. I just have to wonder, if the Enforcers know about magic and got laws about it and all, why not go to them? Or to whoever wizards use to take care of mecha like Shockwave? Why do it yourselves?" 'And put my protégé in danger' echoed unspoken.

"The Enforcers only have methods in place to deal with the aftermath of magical crimes," Prowl explained. "Wizards are expected to police themselves. There is not an organized regulating body as you would think of it. When something serious happens, the Magisters will convene and determine what we should do, including the punishment for the offender. Shockwave would undoubtedly have faced a Magister's Tribunal had he been caught."

"Anything they could've done to him worse than what Jazz said happened?" Half-step wanted to know.

Prowl shook his head. "No. No, there's – no. Not even imprisonment. He has fled to Kaon, I understand, and Magister Sigil, his only surviving victim, has no wish for further action to be taken. This is not to say the state of Crystal City may not take action against him, but whatever Shockwave does from here is the province of non-wizards."

"So, is Jazz still in danger from this guy?" Half-step wanted to know. "Are you?"

"No." Prowl shook his head again. "Shockwave will not come seeking us. Leaving Kaon would put him in danger of civilian arrest as well as undergoing a Tribunal. He is also largely driven by reason and not by emotion, and is likely to consider revenge illogical. As well, I've placed protections on Jazz, myself, and our home. We are as safe as we can be."

Half-step didn't look entirely convinced, but he seemed to be placated, or at least willing enough to let it go. "Okay, good."

Apart from that, dinner went well, and Half-step refrained from telling too many embarrassing stories about Jazz as a newbuild. Prowl managed not to look too amused by them, at least on the outside.

' _Babe, promise me we're never going to speak of any of this again_ ,' Jazz groaned over comms.

Prowl's laughter was evident, if suppressed, in his reply. ' _I promise, darling._ '

Okay, good, because Jazz's first attempts at his now-signature flashy transformation sequence might've been, well, less than graceful, but he more than had it down now!

"I nearly melted the worktop the first time I attempted to make an elixir on my own," Prowl said. "It was the first of several errors that led my master and me to conclude my most valuable skills lay elsewhere."

"Master?" Half-step asked, just as curious as Jazz, which was hardly surprising. Half-step had asked Vector Sigma for a spark not unlike his own, after all.

"When I was an apprentice learning to use magic," Prowl explained. "My master and mentor were the same mech, but this is not always the case. Vector Sigma sometimes provides sparks with wizard potential to non-wizard mentors, though we don't know why."

"Guessing you didn't get much help from the priests on figuring that one out," Half-step said cynically.

"We do not," Prowl agreed.

Jazz picked up a side of bitterness in his mentor's tone and put a hand on Half-step's wrist. "Something happen, 'Step?"

Half-step started to say something, stopped, then shrugged and started again. "Loved mentoring you so much I applied again but…couldn't even buy a spot on the lottery this time. There are so few newsparks these days that you can't even apply if you've been a creator or mentor before."

"I'm sorry," Jazz said gently. "I know you wanted to be a mentor again or even a creator."

"Yeah, well…" Half-step managed a smile and turned his hand over to grip and squeeze Jazz's. "Means I can help you out a little more, right? You've got one year left of your first degree, ever thought about going for a second?"

"Um, not really?" Jazz said, surprised. "I mean…"

"You didn't think you could afford it?" Half-step asked knowingly. "Or you're just not interested?"

"I guess I never thought about it," Jazz said slowly. "I mean, I like being in uni, but I wanna perform too."

"Okay, well, you think it over." Half-step patted Jazz's hand. "It's there if you need it."

"Whatever you choose, I'll support you, darling," Prowl added.

Jazz ducked his head and smiled, sitting between the two most important mecha in his life and feeling loved. "Thanks, guys."

After dinner, they went back to the house and hung out, with Prowl bringing out some of the treats he now made regularly for Jazz. Prowl did as Jazz had wanted and acted as he normally did: quiet and, no matter what he tried, inevitably coming across as slightly odd to a 'normal' person. Half-step didn't care. He knew lots of so-called odd people and, as usual, was completely cool with Prowl, as he was with pretty much anyone. Half-step told them stories about his time on tour. Prowl offered up stories of theatres and playhouses and performances he'd attended, some now famous, more largely forgotten.

"Prowl loves music," Jazz put in. He reached for his lover's hand. "Should have seen his face the first time I played for him."

Prowl smiled warmly at him and wrapped his hand around Jazz's. Jazz smiled back, twining their fingers together.

"Gotta say," Half-step said that night – late, of course – as Jazz was seeing him off to bed. "Prowl does treat you right. Careful about the financial differences, too. Respects you _and_ loves you. Don't always get that combination."

"Glad you feel better about him, 'Step," Jazz said sincerely. "Don't want you to worry about me."

Half-step cupped the back of Jazz's helm in one hand. "I'm _always_ going to worry about you, Jazz. I'm not going to stop worrying just 'cause the deci-vorn I swore to guide you is up. Love you, kiddo."

Jazz hugged his mentor, getting a hug back. "Love you, too."

"Yeah." Half-step kissed him on the cheek. "Go snuggle up with your sweetspark. I'll see you in the morning."

"Yeah. Night, 'Step."

Jazz went to his and Prowl's room, where Prowl was reading in bed, waiting for him. Jazz draped himself over his lover, resting his head on Prowl's chest.

"Hello, darling," Prowl said, picking up on Jazz's playful mood and sounding amused.

"Gotta snuggle ya," Jazz informed him, doing just that. "Mentor said so."

Prowl laughed softly and rested a hand on Jazz's helm. "I see. Well, far be it from me to have you disobey your mentor."

"Nope. Totally obedient protégé, that's me." Jazz stretched up and kissed his lover, then changed position so he could curl up in the crook of Prowl's arm, humming happily. "I love you, babe."

Prowl set his book aside and put his arms around Jazz. "I love you, too, my darling. This was a very good day."

"Yeah," Jazz agreed, shutting his optics off and getting ready to recharge. "Yeah, it was."

* * *

Half-step stretched his visit out another mega-cycle past what he'd suggested initially but couldn't stay longer.

"Wish I could, kiddo," He said, regretfully, to Jazz. "But you don't get anywhere in neutral. Got some gigs coming up."

"Yeah, I know," Jazz said, watching Half-step pack up his keyboard. "Maybe we can swing by your place between terms or something."

"Love it if you did. You two are always welcome." Half-step slung his keyboard, now in its case, over his shoulder by the straps. He didn't like to put it in subspace until he had to, usually when he transformed.

Jazz walked his mentor to the front door, comming Prowl to come and say good-bye. Prowl appeared in the entryway, bearing a treat-filled container that he handed to Half-step. Half-step looked _very_ happy to get those and Jazz couldn't blame him.

"Thanks a lot, Prowl," Half-step said, accepting it. "Really appreciate it. Your treats are amazing."

"Thank you, Half-step," Prowl said, pleased. He glanced at Jazz and took a step back, so Half-step and Jazz could have a moment.

"So, I'll see about swinging by sometime between terms," Jazz offered. "Might see about getting some work out your way, too."

"I'll keep a lookout for something for you," Half-step promised. "C'mere."

Half-step hugged Jazz, kissed his cheek affectionately, then stepped back.

"I'm not comfortable with you being around magic," Half-step said quietly. "Especially the idea there might be another Shockwave – or even the first one. But I get that it's part of your life now, and at least I know that you're responsible about it. I _don't_ have a problem with Prowl, okay? He loves you, he's good to you, I don't have a problem with the two of you together at all." He cupped Jazz's face in his hands. "I'm happy for you, Jazz. Don't forget that."

Jazz smiled. "Okay." He hugged his mentor again. "I love you, Mentor."

"I love you too, Jazz." He stepped back and held out a hand to Prowl, who took it. "Prowl. Glad to have met you in person at last. I'll have someone bring my creator's stuff soon as I can." Half-step released Prowl's hand and clapped Jazz on the shoulder. "Take care of yourself, kiddo."

"I will, 'Step," Jazz promised back.

Half-step glanced back at Jazz as soon as he hit the transforming lane, smiled, then transformed and drove off. Jazz watched him go to the end of the block then let the door close.

"Are you alright?" Prowl asked Jazz quietly as the student walked over to him.

"Yeah. I'm just gonna miss him." Jazz sighed and let Prowl take him in his arms. "Kinda missing him already."

"I understand. What do you need from me?"

"Is it okay if I take a breem or so on my own?" Jazz wanted to know, even as he leaned into his lover's embrace. "I just wanna settle a bit."

"Of course, my dear," Prowl said gently, stroking Jazz's back. "Take all the time you wish. I'll be here when you're ready – and so will the aluminum macaroons I put aside for you."

Jazz smiled and knocked his forehelm against Prowl's affectionately. "You're the best, babe. Thanks."

* * *

The mega-cycle after Half-step left, Jazz came home from school and headed downstairs to Prowl's workshop, drawn by unusual noises. Well, lots of the sounds that came from Prowl's workshop were unusual, but these were unusually unusual. If Jazz hadn't known Prowl practically existed in isolation when Jazz wasn't around to interact with him or coax him out somewhere, he'd have thought they were voices. Jazz didn't exactly know the language, but it was naggingly familiar as if he'd heard bits of it before, enough to recognize the rhythm. He was pretty sure it was a dialect of Cybex, maybe an older one? Prowl had said that he helped Glyph with the pronunciation of some of the nearly-dead languages she studied, but none of the voices sounded like hers. Plus, Jazz didn't think Prowl would permit anyone else into his workshop.

When Jazz got to the basement, the workshop door was open, suggesting it was alright to come in, but Jazz knocked anyway to alert his lover to his presence. Prowl was watching a vid on a battered and scarred tablet of a design Jazz wasn't familiar with, which explained the voices. When Jazz's knock registered, Prowl paused the vid and looked up.

"Hello, my dear. Are you – oh. No, you're home on time."

"Lost track again, did you, lover?" Jazz asked rhetorically, going over to kiss Prowl 'hello.' "Please tell me you at least remembered to get up and stretch a few times. It's not good for a mech to sit in one place all day."

"Once or –" Prowl paused, apparently thinking back. "Once."

Well, once was better than not at all, Jazz supposed.

"Want to go for a drive?" Jazz offered. He'd been pretty stationary all day too, and he wouldn't mind hitting the road for a bit. "Maybe go racing? The tracks here aren't as swanky as the ones we visited in Crystal City, but it'd be fun to race you again."

"I –" Prowl glanced at the tablet again, then set it aside and rose. "I would like that, Jazz, yes."

"Everything okay, babe?" Jazz asked as they exited the workshop, catching hold of Prowl's hand. "You seem – dunno. Off."

"I'll tell you later, my dear," Prowl promised. "Before that, I would like to clear my head. A few races will do that nicely." He squeezed Jazz's hand. "Why don't you tell me about your day instead?"

Jazz squeezed back. Not that Prowl's interest wasn't genuine, but this time he clearly wanted a distraction as well. Hey, if it would make his lover feel better, Jazz was more than happy to provide.

"Can do, babe."

Once they got on the racetrack, it was clear Prowl was not in the mood to race, but to chase, so it was a chase Jazz gave him. Just like he had during their vacation in Crystal City, Prowl applied the same intensity to a chase as he did to his magic and his hunts. It didn't make Jazz feel hunted, though; it made him feel wanted.

' _I am enjoying this, dearest,'_ Prowl told Jazz over comms as he followed Jazz around a sharp turn. ' _It was an excellent suggestion. Thank you.'_

 _'Like chasing me, do you?'_ Jazz asked, even though he knew the answer. He still liked to hear it.

' _Very much, though I admit I prefer to catch you, especially when you ensure I've earned it.'_

 _'I'd make you chase me across the city if the Enforcers'd let us get away with it, lover,_ ' Jazz told him and meant it. ' _Cross the planet, even._ '

' _I'd follow you anywhere, so long as you wished it, my beloved._ '

Damn, this mech was just trying to make Jazz melt, wasn't he? Right into a puddle. He did sound better, though, so Jazz'd let him pour on the lead-dusting all he liked. Didn't mean he was going to just let Prowl catch him, though. The wizard would have to earn it. It was just too bad the racetrack was public, and Jazz couldn't reward him appropriately.

They burned off more energy than Jazz had planned for at the track and stopped off at a little neighbourhood café to top up on the way home.

"Did you and Half-step always have such a close relationship?" Prowl asked out of nowhere as they waited for their order.

"Yeah." Jazz smiled a little. "'Step's great. Started teaching me to play guitar the mega-cycle we came home from my sparking." Jazz chuckled, remembering. "I would've just bugged him to show me if he hadn't, anyway. I asked so many questions. We only got to 'charge that night because he insisted I needed it. Suppose I did, I'd been online just under two mega-cycles, and everything was still getting up and running."

"I was much the same way with magic," Prowl said, reminiscing. "I felt it the moment I onlined, and I wanted to start learning right away, even before I knew what it was. I was fortunate in that my mentor and my master were the same mech."

"Yeah?"

"Yes. It was rare for a wizard to request a spark, and the odds of receiving a spark with wizard potential were even lower, but it is not impossible."

As they left, intending to walk the rest of the way home, Jazz tucked the tidbit about it being rare for a wizard to request a spark away for later consideration. It was _way_ too early to talk about having a creation or a mentee anyway. Their relationship was still too new, and Jazz felt he was too young for that.

"Sounds like you were apprenticed young," Jazz said, neatly avoiding the subject of spark requests. "Or showed potential really young anyway."

"Yes. I've had magic since the day I was sparked," Prowl told him. "I can't remember a time I didn't feel the warp and weft of it around me."

"The warp and what?"

"Weft. Together they refer to the way magic weaves through reality. It's difficult to describe in words," Prowl added. "I've been thinking of my apprenticeship off and on since you asked me to teach you to use your sensitivity to magic better." Prowl tucked his hand into the crook of Jazz's arm as they walked; a mech passing by smiled at the show of affection. "Half-step's visit simply brought it to the fore."

"Your master's not still online, are they?" Jazz asked sympathetically.

Prowl shook his head. "No."

"I'm sorry, Prowl." Jazz tried to imagine what it would be like if Half-step was offline. He couldn't. Even trying was a little upsetting.

"Thank you, my dear. It happened a long time ago and, while I miss both of them and always will, the sting of it is long gone." Prowl sipped contemplatively at his fuel as they turned the corner onto their block. "The video I was watching when you came home was of my master and his master, in fact. I had forgotten about it and only found it because I was looking for teaching tools I could use with you."

"It'd been a while since you'd heard their voice, huh?" Jazz asked gently. That would explain why Prowl had seemed distracted and melancholy when Jazz had come home.

"A very long time, yes." Prowl kept his hand on Jazz's arm as they walked up to their front door. "The reminder did not hurt, exactly, but I am grateful to you for cheering me up."

"You're welcome, love." Jazz hugged Prowl as soon as they were in the foyer; Prowl nuzzled the side of his helm in gratitude. "Do you want to talk about them? About anything?"

Prowl thought for a moment. "I am one of very few mecha who remember my master. Yes, I would like to tell you about them. Now?"

"Whenever you're ready, love."

"Now, then."

Prowl took Jazz down to his workshop and, sitting in the mismatched chairs in the corner, told his lover stories of his master and his youth. Jazz curled up on his chair and listened, fetched copper tea when he thought Prowl could use some and held his love's hand. He listened to Prowl's stories of learning how to manage his abilities, how to read and manipulate the magic around him. Of those early trips with his master, Venator, hunting and ultimately banishing preternatural creatures worse than the wight. That his master had been the one to teach him to cook and bake and that Prowl had eventually surpassed Venator's skill in that area. Jazz learned the rifle Prowl carried had been his master's gift to him when Prowl's apprenticeship was finished, and he was acknowledged as a fully trained wizard and proficient hunter.

"Venator scribed the first glyphs on it," Prowl told him. "Protection and precision, on the stock and the barrel, respectively. I've added more over the vorn, but I've never had to recast either of those on my rifle."

Prowl didn't want to speak of his master's death in any detail, but Jazz gathered it had occurred during a hunt gone wrong. His master had left all his property to Prowl: his library, tools, and the home in Cronum, of which all now remained were the deep vaults. Prowl didn't want to speak of the loss of the house any more than he had his master's death. Jazz didn't ask for more about either topic. Prowl would tell him if, and when, he was ready.

"Thank you for this, dearest," Prowl said sincerely when he wound down, finished at least for now. "It means quite a lot that you wanted to listen to me speak of my past." He smiled affectionately. "You live so much in the present, my love."

"Yeah," Jazz acknowledged. "I do. But I'm not just here for the bits of your life that have me in them, y'know. I'm here for all of it."

Prowl smiled and cupped Jazz's face in his palm, stroking his cheek gently with his thumb. "And I'm endlessly grateful, my darling." He drew Jazz close and kissed him gently. "Shall we get a proper supper? I feel the need to return to a routine now."

"Sounds good." While they were walking to the kitchen, hand-in-hand, Jazz asked Prowl to teach him to cook.

"I will, of course," Prowl said, "but I hadn't realized you were interested in learning."

"Yeah, well, I dunno that we're gonna be in danger of arguing over who gets to work in the kitchen or anything. But I still want to learn because it's something you like," Jazz explained, "and I wanna share it with you. I mean, if you want to?"

Prowl's pleased smile was all the answer he needed.

* * *

Prowl spent an enjoyable afternoon teaching Jazz the basics of fuel preparation. Jazz was intelligent and observant and had already intuited much of what was required simply from watching him. Prowl hadn't cooked with anyone in a very, very long time, and he was grateful to Jazz for offering this simple pleasure to him. When the first tray of treats Jazz had ever made, mostly by himself, was in the chiller, Prowl watched him lick gel from his fingers, where it had splashed during an overenthusiastic pour. Jazz threw him a grin.

"Think they might be edible after all, Prowler," he joked.

Prowl smiled back. "I'm sure they will be."

"Yeah, this time. Wait till I try it on my own."

Jazz hauled himself up to sit on the edge of the sink. This was a compromise; Jazz couldn't break himself of the habit of sitting on the counter, which Prowl disliked. At least Prowl didn't prepare fuel on the edge of the sink. Besides, he liked having Jazz lean down to kiss him, as he did now.

"I'm sure your individual attempts will be fine," Prowl assured him, letting Jazz tug him in to stand between his lover's knees. He rested his hands on Jazz's thighs. "You did quite well."

Jazz linked his hands together at the back of Prowl's neck, relaxed and happy. "Thanks, babe. And, thanks for teaching me."

"Thank you for asking," Prowl replied. "I had missed sharing this with someone."

"Thought you might," Jazz said. His thumbs stroked the base of Prowl's helm. "You know, Prowler, there's anything you want to share with me, you just gotta ask. Dunno if I'll be into it all, but I'll try it."

Prowl had had lovers in the past, and even before that, the life he'd shared with his master. But between his last lover and Jazz, he'd been nomadic for a long time, alone for a long time. He wondered if Jazz had any concept of what it felt like to share one's life again after such a long time, hoped his lover would never have cause to find out.

"That means a great deal to me, my dearspark," he told Jazz. "Thank you."

Jazz kissed him again, wrapping his legs around Prowl's waist. "Not letting you go," he teased and treated Prowl to another kiss. "Hey, Prowler? You ever think about creations or getting a protégé or anything? I mean, I know it's getting more difficult and all, but did you?"

Ah. Prowl supposed they should have had this conversation before now, certainly before Jazz had moved in with him. Still, this was as good a time as any.

"I had not thought about it recently," Prowl answered truthfully. "I considered it when I was younger," when Venator had still been alive in fact, "and concluded it was not something I wanted."

Jazz visibly relaxed. "Oh, thank Primus. Me neither. But then 'Step mentioned trying to request another newspark, and we were talking about your mentor, and I started to wonder. I mean, it's kind of a big thing, so…"

"I don't," Prowl assured him. "I've no desire to be creator, mentor, or master. I do enjoy teaching you, and assisting Glyph and her friends, but I don't want an apprentice."

Jazz nodded. "Okay. We're good on that front then, sounds like." He paused, obviously thinking about something. "How long does a mech stay an apprentice? Cause you made it sound like there haven't been any wizard sparks for ages, but Quickshadow's still studying, right?"

"Quickshadow has almost completed her apprenticeship," Prowl told him. "But yes, it takes quite some time. It varies between wizards, of course, but several hundred vorn per apprentice level is common. Quickshadow was one of the very last wizard sparks released from Vector Sigma."

"Wow," Jazz said, very impressed by the level of dedication that would take for student and master both. "Makes four stellar-cycles of uni sound like nothing." He hesitated. "Um, speaking of, I haven't decided yet, but I think I might want to stay in school for a bit after all. Just part-time, maybe, so I could work while I get a secondary degree. I mean, it'd be that much longer before I could really start to be on equal footing, shanix-wise, and I know that doesn’t bother you, but…"

Prowl stroked Jazz's back, gently, with the fingertips of both hands, just small little comforting pets. "But it bothers you."

"Yeah. Dunno what to do. I want them both, but…"

To continue his education and to contribute equally to their expenses. Prowl nodded understandingly. "Jazz, I will gladly help support you if you continue your formal education. If you're concerned about money, we can always go over the expenses and rework our budget."

"Yeah. Suppose I've got time to worry about it, haven't even done finals for this stellar-cycle yet." Jazz smiled, which Prowl vastly preferred to him looking worried. "Heh. Budgets and school and stuff aren't exactly the kind of things you hear about in the songs about true love, are they?"

"I've found the songs rarely address the mundane." Prowl ran his palms up Jazz's back. "Still, there is no one I would rather share the mundane, the extraordinary, and everything in between with than you, my dearest Jazz."

Jazz smiled softly at him. "Primus, I love you. You're so romantic."

"Merely truthful."

"Yeah," Jazz agreed. "That's the best part about it."

Jazz kissed him, softly and tenderly, mouth warm and faintly sweet since Jazz had insisted on taste-testing the treats before they were chilled. Jazz pulled back a little, dotted some more soft little kisses over Prowl's face, then sat back further and smiled.

"So, how long do the treats need to chill for?" Jazz wanted to know.

"At least a joor, but it will do them no harm to sit longer."

"Yeah? Want to go cuddle up for a bit?" Jazz suggested, stroking Prowl's arms lightly. "Don't feel like 'facing right now, though maybe later, if you want."

"I always want you," Prowl assured him, helping Jazz hop down off the counter. "But cuddling with you is also always welcome."

Prowl let Jazz lead him up to the living room, and they snuggled up together on one of the couches. Jazz dozed lightly, nestled in Prowl's arms with his head on Prowl's chest, while Prowl engaged in meditation. When Jazz woke, they tried the treats and Jazz was satisfied with his first effort and, being Jazz, wanted to try it again. Prowl spent a happy evening with his lover, baking and sharing treats and kisses. Jazz hadn't had his magical theory lessons today, and Venator might have disapproved, but Prowl let it slide. Jazz had plenty of time to learn, and Prowl was enjoying himself.

"Okay," Jazz chuckled when they ran out of ground gypsum. "Think if we're running out of basic ingredients, it might be time to quit."

"I agree." Prowl began to sort the dishes for cleaning and Jazz, taking the hint, started to fill the dishwasher. "Thank you for this, my dear."

"Thanks for teaching me." Jazz kissed Prowl on the cheek in passing, then added, "speaking of, got a magic-theory lesson for me today?"

Prowl shook his head. "No, not today." Prowl finished separating dishes into piles and washed his hands off in the sink. "I think I'd like to soak in the bath for a while, then go to bed. Will you join me?"

Jazz nodded, still filling the dishwasher. "Yeah, babe, I'd like that. Want to go get it started, and I'll join you?"

Prowl agreed and readied an oil bath for them both, turning the bathroom lights down to soft levels. Jazz brought up a small plate of treats, climbed into the tub carefully, and shared them with Prowl, feeding them to his lover by hand. Prowl smiled and indulged his lover, drawing him in for kisses and caresses when the treats were gone. After the bath, they showered to rinse away the excess oil. Then, Prowl took Jazz to bed and made love to him with a single-minded intensity that reduced Jazz to gasping incoherence, crying out for his lover. Jazz trembled, after, and Prowl soothed him, comforted him, kissed and caressed him until he was at ease again, then nestled down into Jazz's arms.

"So good," Jazz mumbled against Prowl's helm. "Just 'mazing. Love you."

"I love you," Prowl answered softly. He listened to Jazz's systems slow as he drifted off into sleep, while the wizard tenderly stroked Jazz's chest plates and thought about his past while holding his future.

**Author's Note:**

> Fortrax comes from Fortran, one of the earliest programming languages.
> 
> Venator is Latin for hunter, the name I usually give one of Prowl's creators. [[Source](https://translate.google.com/#view=home&op=translate&sl=en&tl=la&text=hunter)].
> 
> The deep vaults of Prowl's former home were first referenced in [The Spheres](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17048177).


End file.
